Scott Huff highlights William Tennent, Pennridge and Upper Merion and recaps Friday’s league openers.
By Scott Huff
The curtain opened for the 2013-2014 Suburban One League basketball season with a full slate of 
conference games last Friday.
Abington will attempt to defend its 2012-2013 SOL National Conference championship and must hold off conference opponents Pennsbury, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, William Tennent, Bensalem, and Neshaminy in order to repeat.
Hatboro-Horsham and Souderton will attempt to defend the 2012-2013 SOL Continental Conference co-championship and must defeat conference opponents Pennridge, Quakertown, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks East, Central Bucks West and North Penn in order to repeat.
Norristown will attempt to defend its 2012-2013 SOL American Conference championship and must defeat conference opponents Plymouth Whitemarsh, Wissahickon, Cheltenham, Springfield, Upper Moreland, Upper Dublin, and Upper Merion in order to repeat.
And the beat goes on…
Suburban One League National Conference ‘Snapshot’
William Tennent Panthers
William Tennent entered the season without 6-foot, 8-inch junior Horace Spencer. Spencer transferred to prestigious Finely Prep in Las Vegas to play this year – you know – the Finley Prep that has gone 192-7 over the last 6 seasons – 82-0 at home – with 100 percent of its players getting Division One scholarships.
That Finley Prep.
“We all wish Horace well, he received a unique opportunity and he took advantage of it,” said William Tennent head coach Robert Mulville. “He still keeps in touch with some of the players on the team.”
William Tennent did enter the season with senior guard Matt Alden who has gotten off to a terrific start this season. Alden scored 27 points as the Panthers won their conference opener over Council Rock North, 57-49.
“Matt is a tremendous student of the game,” said Mulville. “He plays the game with a great deal of emotion and heart, and he always wants to know what he can do to improve his game. He just loves the game of basketball.
“Matt has developed a great outside shot, but he can also go to the rim,” added Mulville. “He has gotten looks from quite a few Division II and Division III schools. He will be playing somewhere on the college level next season.
“We were thrilled to be able to beat North and get that first league win,” continued Mulville. “We prepared hard for them, worked hard in practice, and were rewarded with a win. We get Pennsbury next, and that is going to be quite a challenge.”
In the Rear View Mirror – SOL National Conference
Abington (1-0) opened its SOL National Conference title defense with a 52-41 victory over Council Rock South (0-1). The Ghosts were led in scoring by Lazaros Mackrides with 15 points, while Matt Penecale added 10 points for the winners. The Golden Hawks were led in scoring by Will Faccenda who scored in double digits with 10 points.
Pennsbury (1-0) opened its SOL National Conference season with an easy 67-38 victory over Bensalem (0-1). The Falcons were led in scoring by Mekhi Bryant with 15 points, while Migel Johnson (11) and Cameron Jones (10) also scored in double figures for the winners. The Owls were led in scoring by Brian Kilcoyne and Avery Nyekan who each scored 7 points.
Truman (1-0) opened its SOL National Conference season with a 55-43 victory over Neshaminy (0-1). The Tigers were led by Tyquan Law with a game-high 19 points, while Tramere Adams added 11 points for HST. The Redskins were led in scoring by Shammond Thomas, Kyree Moore, and Juwan Lee who each scored 10 points.
William Tennent (1-0) opened its SOL National Conference season with a 57-49 victory over Council Rock North (0-1). The Panthers were led in scoring by Matt Alden with a game-high 27 points, while John Ryan scored in twin digits with 14 points. The Indians were led is scoring by Josh McWilliams with a team-high 19 points, while Chris Rowland scored in double figures with 13 markers.
On Deck – SOL National Conference
12/17/13 – CR South @ Truman; CR North @ Abington; Neshaminy @ Bensalem; and Pennsbury @ William Tennent.
12/20/13 – Truman @ CR North; Abington @ Neshaminy; Bensalem @ William Tennent; and CR South @ Pennsbury.
Suburban One League Continental Conference ‘Snapshot’
Pennridge Rams
Pennridge moved into first place in the conference standings with its 75-62 victory over Central Bucks South in the conference opener.
“I guess you have to be happy being 1-0 in the league, but we still have an awful lot of work to do defensively,” said Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens. “To be able to open the season with a home win against South is a good win – a very good win for us,
“We shot the ball extremely well, and we made clutch free throws toward the end of the game when they made a run,” added Behrens. “We are very young and relatively inexperienced, and we should get better as the season goes on.”
One player that the Rams feature that is not inexperienced is junior guard Zach Muredda. Muredda – who scored 20 points in the win over CB South to lead PHS – was an all-conference performer last year.
“We ask Zach to do a whole lot for us,” said Behrens. “He is our top scorer, and when the other teams put pressure on us, he is the player we want to handle the basketball. He is a lot stronger this year than last year, and he is the type of player that wants the ball in his hands at all times.”
Pennridge has also received strong performances so far this 2-2 season from junior Joey Molettiere and sophomore Dan Long.
“Joey is playing the best basketball of his life right now,” said Behrens. “He is only 6-1, but he plays at the rim. I haven’t coached too many players here that can play at the rim like he does.
“And Danny shows so much promise as a sophomore,” added Behrens of the 5-10 guard. “When South went to a pressure defense, I had to keep Danny in the game. He proved he could both handle their pressure and make clutch free throws at the end of the game. We have a nice group of underclassmen in Zach, Joey, and Danny.”
And right now, that group has the Rams in first place.
In the Rear View Mirror – SOL Continental Conference
Hatboro-Horsham (1-0) opened its SOL Continental Conference title defense with a 58-42 victory over Central Bucks East (0-1). The Hatters were led by Walt Kimble with a team-high 17 points, while Billy Metzgar (13) and Zach Quattro (11) each scored in twin digits for the winners. The Patriots were led by Brendan McLauglin with a game-high 21 points.
Pennridge (1-0) opened its SOL Continental Conference season with a 75-62 victory over Central Bucks South (0-1). Zach Muredda scored a team-high 20 points for the Rams, while Joe Molettiere (18) and Dan Long (15) scored in double digits for the winners.
Central Bucks West (1-0) opened its SOL Continental Conference season with a 55-43 victory over Quakertown (0-1). The Bucks were led in scoring by Kyle Salvitti with a team-high 15 points, while Cal Reichwein and Kyle Schechter each scored 10 points. The Panthers were led in scoring by Griffin Schmidt who scored a game-high 16 points.
North Penn (1-0) opened its SOL Continental Conference season with a 74-63 victory over Souderton (0-1). The Knights were led in scoring by Noah Melchoir with 14 points, while James Edwards (13) and Joe Richards (12) also scored in double digits. The Indians were led in scoring by Carter Knight who scored a game-high 23 points.
On Deck – SOL Continental Conference
12/17/13 – Pennridge @ Quakertown; CB West @ CB East; Hatboro-Horsham @ Souderton; and North Penn @ CB South.
12/20/13 – CB South @ Quakertown; Hatboro-Horsham @ Pennridge; Souderton @ CB West; and CB East @ North Penn.
Suburban One League American Conference ‘Snapshot’
Upper Merion Vikings
Upper Merion has a new commander at the helm of the Viking ship in first year head coach Jason Quenzer.
“Our expectations are high,” said Quenzer. “We know that we are in a very tough league with the Norristown’s, Plymouth Whitemarsh’s, Wissahickon’s, and Cheltenham’s. Our goal right now is to be able to compete with those teams.”
And the Vikings did just that when Upper Merion opened its season with a 60-56 loss to defending champion Norristown.
“We know that we are going to have to play really, really, well to beat those powerhouse teams,” said Quenzer. “But the more we can compete with those teams, the more we are going to get the program off on the right foot.”
Upper Merion will be counting on the play of guard David Stecz to help the Vikings get that footing in the rookie coaching season of Quenzer.
“David is a tremendous shooter and a very hard worker,” said Quenzer. “He is one of the top 3-point shooters in the league, and he is also a tremendous motivator for the rest of the team. We all have been chomping at the bit to get the season started, and now we get the chance to play some basketball.”
In the Rear View Mirror – SOL American Conference
Norristown (1-0) opened its SOL American Conference title defense with a 60-56 victory over Upper Merion (0-1). The Eagles were led in scoring by Curt Lever with a game-high 17 points, while Kip Patten (12) and Chris Evans (11) also scored in double figures for the winners. The Vikings were led in scoring by Samir Patel with a team-high 13 points, while CJ Reinert (11) and David Stecz (10) also scored in twin digits.
Wissahickon (1-0) opened its SOL American Conference season with a 73-49 victory over Upper Dublin (0-1). The Trojans were led in scoring by Chase Wilson with a game-high 22 points, while Todd Bentley scored 10 points for the winners. The Cardinals were led in scoring by Simeon Fryer with a team-high 13 points, while Zach Greenburg scored in twin digits with 10 points.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-0) opened its American Conference season with a 62-39 victory over Upper Moreland (0-1). The Colonials were led in scoring by Jimmy Murray with a game-high 18 points, while Brett Paul (11), Manuel Herezi (11), and Andre Mitchell also scored in double digits. The Golden Bears were led in scoring by James Martin with a team-high 12 points.
Cheltenham (1-0) opened its American Conference season with an 81-53 victory over Springfield (0-1). The Panthers were led in scoring by Justin Sutton with 21 points, while Arron Burton (17) and Jeremiah Coleman (14) each scored in twin digits for the winners. The Spartans were led in scoring by Malik Ball with a team-high 15 points, while Larry Clark (12) and Brendan Dugan (10) also scored in double figures.
On Deck – SOL American Conference
12/16/13 – Norristown @ Upper Moreland.
12/17/13 – Upper Dublin @ Norristown; Plymouth Whitemarsh @ Cheltenham; Springfield @ Wissahickon; and Upper Merion @ Upper Moreland.
12/20/13 – Cheltenham @ Upper Dublin; Wissahickon @ Plymouth Whitemarsh; and Springfield @ Upper Merion.
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